Trap-door for railway-cars.



R. T. AXE.

TRAP DOOR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.2.1914.

Patented June 29, 1915.

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R. T. AXE.

TRAP DOOR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. I9I4.

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TED TATE PATENT @FFTUE.

ROY T. AXE, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

TRAP-DOOR FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Original application filed October 6, 1910, Serial No. 585,641.

Divided and this application filed March 2, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROY T. AXE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Trap-Door for Railway- C-ars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trap doors for railway car platforms of the type described in my pending application, Sr. No. 721,520, filed Sept. 20, 1912, renewal of application, Sr. No. 585,6 l1, filed Oct. 6, 1910, of which this application is a division, and has for its object a particularly simple and efficient means for effecting movement of the trap door in a direction lengthwise of its axis; and the invention consists in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a trap door embodying my invention, the contiguous portion of the car platform being also shown. Fig. 2 is an elevation of parts shown in Fig. 1, the trap-door being in its raised position. Fig. 3 is a section on line A-A, Fig. 2.

1 designates the trap door movable about a horizontal axis from a vertical position to a horizontal position, and vice versa, to close and open the step opening 2 of the car platform 3, and movable in a direction substantially lengthwise of said axis to project a part of its length beyond the plane of the side of the car and withdraw said projecting part.

4 is the hinge element supported from the car or the platform thereof and journaled in suitable brackets 5 supported by the car platform, the hinge element being illustrated as a barrel or tube which is acted upon by a retracting spring usually located within the same. The retracting spring forms no part of this invention, and as its operation is Well known by those skilled in the art, further description is thought to be unnecessary. The hinge element 4 is arranged with its axis extending transversely of the car and at one side of the step opening 2.

The means for connecting the door to the Patented June 29, 1915.

Renewed September 20, 1912, Serial No. 721,520.

Serial No. 821,920.

hinge element comprises a part having a swinging movement relatively to the hinge element 4 and a cam for effecting said swinging movement during the movement of the door and the hinge element about the axis of the hinge element. Preferably, there are a pair of such parts which are in the form of levers having arms coacting with stationary cams, one arm coacting with its cam to move the door outwardly lengthwise of its axis when the door is moving about its axis into a horizontal position, and the other arm coacting with its cam to move the door inwardly when it is moving about its axis from a horizontal to a vertical position.

6 designates the levers which are arranged on the under side of the door 1 and are pivoted or fulcrumed at 7 intermediate of their ends at points fixed relatively to the hinge element 4, one arm of each lever being pivoted at 8 to the door near the free edge thereof and the other arm 9 thereof coacting with its cam 10, which is preferably located near the hinge element 4:- As here shown, the fulcrum points '7 are located between the hinge element -1 and the free edge of the door 1 and are located at the ends of brackets 11 mounted on the hinge element 4 to move therewith and extending substantially radially therefrom toward the free edge of the door. The cams 10 are fixed to the car platform and have oppositely arranged inclined or cam surfaces, and the arms 9 of the levers 6 are also oppositely arranged to be acted on in opposite directions by the cams. The arms 9 coact at their ends with the cams 10, so that during the movement of the door about its axis, one cam 10 acts on the arm 9 of its companion lever 6 and tends to rock the lever to project the door in the lengthwise direction and during the movement of the door about its axis in the opposite direction the other arm 9, cam 10 and lever 6 effect the lengthwise shifting of the door to its normal position. The arms 9 carry antifriction rollers 12 for coacting with the cams. The door 1 is also connected to the hinge element t by a clip or clips as the clip 13 fixed to the underside of the door and embracing the hinge element or barrel 4. Owing to the use of open cams 1O spaced apart, clogging of the cams by snow, ice and dirt is avoided.

What I claim is i 1. The combination with a car platform provided with a step opening and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening and movable in a direction substantially lengthwise of its axis, of a hinge element supported from the car and movable about said axis, means for connecting the door to said element including a part having a swinging movement relatively to the element, and a cam for effecting the swinging movement during the movement of the door about its axis, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination with a car platform provided with a step opening, and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening, and movable in a direction substantially lengthwise of said axis, of a hinge element supported by the car, means for connecting the door to said element including a lever pivoted to the door and fulcrumed to a part fixed to the hinge element and from movement lengthwise of the axis of the door, and a stationary cam for coacting with the lever to effect the swinging movement of the lever during the movement of the door about its axis, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with a car platform provided with a step opening, and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening and movable in a direction substantially lengthwise of said axis, of

a hinge element supported from the car and movable about said axis, means for connecting the door to said element including a lever pivoted to the door and fulcrumed intermediate of its ends to a part fixed to the hinge element, the fulcrum point being located between the hinge element and the free edge of the door, and a stationary cam located near the hinge element and coacting with the lever to cause said lever to move about its fulcrum point and swing the door lengthwise of its axis during the movement of the door about its axis, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with a car platform provided with a step opening and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening and movable in a direction substantially lengthwise of said axis,

of a hinge element supported by the car and movable about said axis, a bracket carried by the hinge element and extending radially therefrom, a lever fulcrumed to said bracket, and being pivoted to the door, and a stationary cam coacting with said lever to move the same about its fulcrum during the movement of the door about its axis, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination with a car platform provided with a step opening and a trap door movable about an axis to open and provided with a step opening and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening and movable in a direction substantially lengthwise of said axis, of

a hinge element supported by the car and movable about said axis, a bracket carried by the hinge element and extending toward the free edge of the door, a lever fulcrumed intermediate of its ends to said bracket,one arm thereof being pivoted between the bracket and the free edge of the door, and a cam coacting with the other arm of said lever, the cam being located near the axis of the hinge element, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. v

7. The combination with a car platform provided with a step opening and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening and movable substantially lengthwise of said axis, of a hinge element supported from the car and movable about said axis, means for connecting the door to said element including parallel levers pivotally connected to the door toward the free edge thereof and fulcrumed to parts fixed to the hinge'element, and oppositely facing cams acting in opposite directions on said levers respectively to effect swingingmovement thereof during movement of the door about its axis, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The combination with a car platform provided with a step opening and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening and movable substantially lengthwise of said axis, of a hinge element supported from the car and movable about said axis, means for connecting the door to said element includingparallel levers piv-,

lengthwise of said axis, of a hinge element supported from the car and movable about said axis, means for connecting the door to said element including a pair of brackets mounted on the hinge element and projecting toward the free edge of the door, levers fulcrumed intermediate of their ends to the brackets, corresponding arms of the levers being pivoted to the door near the free edge thereof, and oppositely facing stationary cams acting in opposite directions on the other arms of the levers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination with a car platform provided With a step opening, and a trap door movable about an axis to open and close said opening and movable in a direction lengthwise of said axis; of a hinge element supported from the car and movable about said axis, means for connecting the door to said element including a pair of brackets extending substantially radially from the hinge element and being fixed thereto, a pair of levers pivoted to the door and fulcrumed to the brackets, and oppositely facing stationary cams coacting With the levers respectively and acting thereon in opposite direotions during the movement of the door about its axis, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tWo attesting Witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 20th day of February, 1914:.

ROY T. AXE.

Witnesses:

S. DAVIS, CHAs. H. YOUNG.

G'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

